Math and Apologizing
by FallingforWerewolves
Summary: This is for CaRtOoN wAtChEr's Not Very Popular Couple's Contest.  Hamilton is trying to do his math homework at a Cahill family reunion.  This is the first time I've entered one of these contests so I'm not sure what to expect.


**This is for CaRtOoN wAtChEr's Not Very Popular Couple's Contest. And, surprise, surprise, I wrote a HamiltonxSinead one. Most of this is set three years before the Clue Hunt; the last part taking place when they're in the Gauntlet.**

**Word Count (without the Author's Note or disclaimer and such): 1, 110**

**Pairing: Hamilton Holt and Sinead Starling**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the 39 Clues, I wouldn't be here right now.**

* * *

><p>Note to self: Never expect privacy when other Cahills are around.<p>

So there I was, trying to work out a solution to a rather challenging math problem (whoever heard of giving out homework during Christmas break, anyway?) when Dan came bursting in, seemingly running for his life.

It took only seconds for Natalie to follow him, which resulted in them running in circles around my work space.

"Daniel Cahill I am going to kill you!" Natalie screamed.

"The British are coming! The British are coming!" Dan yelled over his shoulder, finally leaving the room. Natalie ran out after him, her shoes, which I remember her calling ballet flats, clicked against the hard floor.

That left me about five seconds of silence before:

"Hey, big bro!"

"What'cha doing?"

I sighed, trying to keep myself in check.

"That jank homework Mrs. Kennedy gave me, remember?" I replied.

My little twin demons were bouncing up and down in their purple track suits, prepared to annoy me to no end. Nine years-old and full to the brim of classic Holt energy, they were up to anything. That anything usually meant bad things for me.

"Can you guys please get out of here?" I asked desperately.

Dan and Natalie ran past the door again, giving me an idea.

"Why don't you too help Nat chase Dan?"

They instantly brightened at the thought of chasing Dan around the massive house. They sprinted out of the room, blonde pigtails flying behind them. I looked back down at the problem. Now what in the world did (-2) + (-17) even mean?

"Do you know where Natalie is?" I heard Ian's snooty accent dome from the doorway.

I didn't even look at the British twelve year-old as I answered "She is, along with my sisters, chasing Dan somewhere."

I didn't hear a response, so I assumed he had left. Wishing I had a calculator, I continued to give myself a headache.

Jonah came in next and, of all things, asked me where in this "incredibly puny house" he could find a bathroom.

I looked up, slightly surprised. "I honestly have no clue."

With that, the incredibly rapid successful rapper left with a half-hearted "Peace out, yo."

Minutes later, my three least favourite people on the face of the planet walked in. Ned, Ted and Sinead Starling, the know-it-all Ekats, sauntered into the room in unison. Trying to make myself small, a harder task than the stupid math problem, I shrunk down in my seat, head bent dutifully over the textbook.

"Well, well," I heard Ned (or was it Ted? I can never tell those two apart) say. "I never expected to see a Dolt in here."

I tried to look busy with a math equation, the same one I'd been on for what felt like hours, and muttered "I'm allowed to be in the library."

"What was that?" Ted (still guessing here) replied in a taunting tone of voice which meant no good. "I couldn't hear you over the immense amount of idiocy."

This earned a small laugh from the sister, Sinead. Sinead was... well... she wasn't nice to me or anything, but I guess you could say I, um, "liked" her. Kind of how Amy likes Ian even though he's never been nice to her. And yes, Amy's little crush was _that_ obvious.

"If you don't mind," I said, still irritated from the former disruptions, "I'm trying to do my homework."

"That's certainly a change of pace," Ned commented.

"How long has it taken you?" Ted asked. "Hours? And that's probably just to get through the first question."

Dan chose this point to run past the door yelling "I need ninja powers and I need them fast!"

"You are an idiot!" Natalie cried, chasing after him with Madison and Reagan in tow.

Ian followed afterwards bellowing "What is this all about, anyway?"

Ned and Ted took a great interest at the scene outside and ran after Ian and the others. Thinking I finally had some moments of peace, I turned back to my work, more frustrated than ever before.

After a few seconds, I cracked my pencil in half in frustration with a twitch of my fingers. I didn't notice that Sinead had sat down next to me until she asked:

"Which one are you stuck on, anyway?"

I sighed, figuring that she already thought I was an idiot and I had nothing to else, I pointed out the problem.

"Oh, that," she said. "That's easy. Two negatives equal a positive, so..."

"Ah, okay," I said, _finally _getting it. "You must think I'm an idiot."

Sinead shook her head. "Not really. "You're just average intelligence."

I scoffed. "Then what's an idiot in your book?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Well, an idiot in my books would probably be-"

She was cut off by Dan running past the door hollering "Where's Perry the Platypus when you need him?"

"Dan," she finished.

I laughed a bit at that as we watched his ever growing chain of pursuers run by.

"Thanks for the help," I said, picking up my stuff to leave.

She shrugged. "No big deal."

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><p>Dan finally spilled the beans on what he did to make Natalie so angry.<p>

"So, I was sitting there, innocently drinking my juice when Princess of Brats comes over and slaps me for no reason whatsoever. In revenge, I dumped my juice all over her Prana purse."

"It's Prada!" Natalie yelled indignantly.

Everyone was now in the lounge except for Amy, who had surprisingly (note the extreme sarcasm) gone to the library and Ian who really couldn't care less about Dan's latest antics.

After more yelling, resulting in a headache for me, I decided to retire to my room. Sinead had a similar idea and left with me, leaving her brothers to the mercy of Dan's immaturity.

I stopped just by the bottom of the stairs and turned to face Sinead. I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers, ever so slightly. I then ran very quickly up the stairs like a coward.

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><p><em>Two Years and three quarters later...<em>

I looked Sinead directly in the eye and said "I'm sorry."

She nodded; not forgiveness exactly, but the first step in trying.

I apologized for the Franklin Institute, sure, but I apologized for more. I was sorry for almost taking her life with that stupid explosion. I was sorry for kissing her that one time then running away with my tail between my legs. I was sorry for going against what the Ekat and Tomas branches had taught.

I apologized for loving her when I knew she could never feel the same.


End file.
